Harper's Weekly was one of the most influential newspapers of its time, and the UF Libraries now has access to HarpWeek, the fulltext and graphics Web version of the periodical for the years 1857 to 1877. This popular nineteenth century periodical, founded in 1857, tracked the major political, social and military stories of its day, providing reportage, editorials, book reviews, and entertaining with humor, gossip, and literature. Advertisements covered everything from medical remedies to sewing machines. Issues such as poverty, immigration, and the abolition of slavery were major topics of the day. On most issues, the editors of the New York-based Harper's Weekly generally took a moderate stance.
Harper's Weekly's coverage reveals the emotional turmoil of the day. In the very first issue of HW, on January 3, 1957, the editors predicted the terrible consequences that would befall the country if its politicians could not compromise. When war broke out, Harper's Weekly reported stories from the frontlines by Horace Greeley and other noted journalists of the time. The battlefield photographs of Matthew Brady and Timothy O'Sullivan were copied by artists such as Winslow Homer and Thomas Nast and reproducted as lithographs in the Weekly.
The HarpWeek Web pages are actually scanned images of each page. The newspaper can be browsed issue by issue or searched by category/keyword. A series of general indexes include subject, illustrations, literature and publishing, and advertising.
*People can be searched by occupation or social role, from abolitionist to wine merchant.HarpWeek is available to UF students, staff, and faculty on-campus. Off-campus access is possible with a GatorLink Account (UFL.EDU domain addresses) and appropriate software from the following Web address:*The Illustrations Index catalogs the maps, panoramic views, portraits, cartoons, and other visual images.
*The Literature and Publishing index covers works of prose and verse as well as reviews, discussions, and even covers book and magazine advertisements. Literary categories include address, first person narrative, pamphlet, tract and treatises.
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